OBSERVATIONS ON THE CRUSTACEAN FAUNA OF THE 

 REGION ABOUT MAM.MOTH CAVE, KENTUCKY. 



By William Perky Hay, 



Howard Inirerxiti/, Washington City. 



During- the month of August, 1901, the writer spent a weelc at the 

 Mammoth Cave of Kentucky and, through the courtesy of Mr. H. C. 

 Ganter, the manager of the estate, was able to make fairly complete 

 collections of the invertebrates, both within the cave and in various 

 neighboring springs and streams. As the object of the visit was to 

 obtain extensive series of the crustaceans of the region, and to record 

 observations on their habits, very little attention was paid to other 

 groups, and aside from the crustaceans the collections were very mea- 

 ger. A few specimens of an earthworm resembling L>n/thricits, a (juan- 

 tity of fresh-water sponge taken from the rocks well within the exit of 

 Echo River, and one or two specimens of Cottus sp. {rlcjKirdKoiu! f) 

 taken in Roaring River are the only ones worthy of note. 



As is well known, the Mammoth Cave of Kentucky has been the sub- 

 ject of many articles long and short, or volumes, which have appeared 

 from time to time. Its fauna has been studied more carefully and 

 by more naturalists than that of any other American cavern, as numer- 

 ous lists and papers will testify. 



•The localities given in the present paper are often those within the 

 cave, but the name by which the particular spot is known is usually 

 given for the sake of accuracy. Richardson's Spring is a small pool 

 of clear water supplied b}^ a very small trickling stream and is about 

 1 mile from the entrance. Roaring River, a passage which is never 

 visited except b}- the collector, is reached by a low and very nmddy 

 and difficult passage which turns off from the main route a short dis- 

 tance l)e3"ond Echo River. The mouth of the passage is said to be 2 

 miles from the entrance of the cave. At times of high water the 

 entire passage, as well as contiguous portions of the main cave, are 

 flooded, but usually the water is confined to a series of small pools 

 among the rocks and mud of the floor of the passage and the stream 

 at the end. Roaring River itself is a stream some 15 or 20 feet wide. 



Proceedings U. S. National Museum, Vol. XXV-No. 1285. 



223 



